Many who follow the indie-rock scene are no stranger to the name Mitski. The powerhouse artist has taken over the underground scene and has gone explosively viral on TikTok. Mitski’s succinct sound and lyrical craft on topics of mental health and the experience of being a first generation American, has been the catalyst for her accumulated fandom.

Her previous album “Laurel Hell” created an uncomfortable dissonance with fans and critics for her attempt at ‘80s synth rock. Some felt the album was a result of pressure from her label, Dead Oceans, to keep up with the virality. In her most recent seventh studio album, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” Mitski refurbishes her classic sound while reestablishing the artistry we’ve known since the beginning.

Though the main producer on the album, Patrick Hyland, isn’t new to working with Mitski, this elevated take on soft country is a first for the duo and pairs well on the project. Songs like “Buffalo Replaced” and “The Deal” experiment with the campfire banjo sound and creates an indie-rock-country hybrid that fits Mitski like a glove. 

Off the bat you’ll notice Mitski’s choice to experiment with her sound again. This time the album is produced with a country twang, a sound that has been rising in popularity after artists like Orville Peck and Ethel Cain have made waves in the indie rock scene. Lead single and opening track “Bug Like an Angel” is a harmonic masterpiece. Mitski’s soft vocals heavily contrast the gospel choir chorus.Touching on the complexities of family and the after effects of trauma with religious themes, she sets the tone of stories to come: “Sometimes, a drink feels like family.” 

Country ballad “Heaven” falls deep into the new production style. With notes of classical music stringed in, the track supplies a ‘Grand Ole Opry’ spirit. She preaches the lengths she’s taken to run the course of the relationship through all the emotional turbulence: “Now I bend like a willow/Thinkin of you.” The track describes a relationship that had it’s bumps along the road, but will prevail till the pearly gates: “We havе for the day/Can we stay awhile and listеn for/Heaven.” Its chorus of “oohs” feels hymnal and peaceful. The gorgeous outro is floral and springy, filled with pianos, flutes, and violins. This beautiful chapter has just begun for Mitski and her partner and it’s one to adore.

Mitski prevails time and time again speaking on matters that many have been through. With a previous song as grandiose as “Nobody,” its successor “I Don’t Like My Mind” is just as good, if not better. It’s brutally vulnerable right off the bat singing, “I don’t like my mind, I don’t like being left alone in a room/With all its opinions about the things that I’ve done.” Mitski describes self-loathing, body-riddling anxiety, and overall regretful guilt. Though she copes through her work, it ultimately leads her back to moments where she pushed herself too hard and left hurt. That room of self destruction that Mitski describes is never fully shut for her, nor for us.

“My Love Mine All Mine” is perhaps Mitski’s simplest song in her career, yet it’s already one of her best. Similar to “Two Slow Dancers” and “Once More to See You,” this track is sparkling with affection: “Nothing in the world is mine for free/But my love, mine, all mine, all mine.” This love song of pure devotion is caring, daring, and absolutely charming. With a twanging guitar and a tempo that is so deep and tender with its pace one could easily raise it up to the ranks of George Michael and Phil Collins. 

In “I’m Your Man,” her writing is stripped down and authentic. The track has two verses, no chorus, and a story for the ages. She morbidly reflects on an ill-fated relationship: “So, when you leave me, I should die/I deserve it, don’t I?” Nearing the end of the second verse you can hear dogs barking in the background, releasing an emotional tension from the track. Its outro levitates with an angelic choir while the dogs and crickets shout, painting a summer sunset full of regret.

Mitski’s approach to real world issues is at times very subliminal. On this project she caters to the climate crisis issue with her organic approach to americana and the natural beauty seen in the plains. With a film attached along with the album, Mitski has finally released a selection of personal agonies many felt she was holding back from. Much like the title, perhaps she feels the human emotion is too inhospitable to continue.